by Patrizia Li Volsi
Starting a menstrual cycle before age 13 is linked to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, as well as the risk of stroke before age 65, a study suggests.
My daughter, who is overweight, had menarche at 10 years old. The pediatrician assures me that it is a phenomenon to be considered physiological for the age. Are there any risks to her future health?
Answers Patrizia Li Volsi, diabetologist, Association of Diabetologists (GO TO THE FORUM)
Recent research published in the journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health linked the onset of menstruation before age 13 to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, as well as the risk of stroke before age 65. Diabetes and its complications are on the rise even among younger people; at the same time, the age of the first menstrual cycle also shows an increasingly earlier onset in recent decades. The published study took place in the years from 1999 to 2018, included more than 17 thousand women aged between 20 and 65 and for each one the age of the first menstrual cycle was known. Ten percent of participating women had diabetes and 11% also had cardiovascular disease. The risk varied by age at first menstrual period and was 32% higher for menarche at age 10 years, 14% for menarche at age 11 years, and 29% at age 12 years.
The results of the study
It found that women with diabetes who had their first period at age 10 (or earlier) had a higher risk of stroke, more than doubling in those under 65. The risk decreases as the age of the first period increases. A potential explanation for this association could be linked to exposure to estrogen for longer periods of time. High plasma estradiol levels are associated with insulin resistance and glucose levels, independent of adiposity. An early age at menarche in women may therefore contribute to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, which is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. These results, even if provided by an observational study, encourage us to consider the age of menarche or its warning signs, such as breast development, as early childhood strategies for preventing diabetes and the progression of its complications.
Diet and physical activity
The onset of puberty is related to weight, the amount of adipose tissue in the body and the hormone leptin. Compared to the beginning of the last century, children’s body mass has increased. This may be one of the factors that determines precocious puberty, which predisposes the body to the onset of future hypertension, diabetes and a whole series of vascular complications. It is therefore very important to offer boys and girls, from a young age and before they enter the world of fast food, a balanced diet according to the principles of the Mediterranean diet and the possibility of carrying out physical activity for several hours a week.
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February 18, 2024 (modified February 18, 2024 | 09:12)
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